Dear 2020: Faezeh Jalali pens a poem for the coming year
A place…Where conventions are challenged/ Where everyone plays a part/ Where theatre connects to the world at large!
2020 My Dear,
I didn’t really expect you
But you’re already here!
What I want this year?
An affordable theatre
A 400 seater
(Low rents and high returns!)
Nothing idealistic
Just practical...
To stage the intimate, experimental
Or the large spectacle;
Comedy, drama and even a musical.
A space for the amateur and
the professional,
A space for readings and for discussions.
A stage that can transform
From thrust, or traverse,
to a proscenium, or round,
A place that brings in the crowds
So... a large black box
Would be just wow!
(I’d like to curate it)
A space that is inclusive
Welcoming all
High ceilings and low walls.
Great acoustics, sound sound
Not too soft not too loud
Super lights and lighting desk
good aesthetics and great tech.
A space where we share
A space of no fear
Where ideas are exchanged
Where truth appears
Where thoughts are expressed
Loud and clear
Stories are told
Shy or bold
Conversations started
Between young and old
Where conventions are challenged
Where everyone gets to play a part
Where theatre connects to the world at large
What else do I want from you 2020?
Oh plenty!
Value local talent,
The home-grown groups
Represent the differently-abled
Invest in the youth.
(Imports are not always that good!)
Support female voices,
And those of the marginalised
Speak for those with few choices
Those who are ostracised.
Organise
Finance
Encourage
Buy tickets
Sure we’ll give you a comp if you can’t
afford it!
As for the director in me
Well, she would like to see
The play that the writer in her writes
As a big magnum opus;
That someone with a generous
heart produces :)
Naseeruddin Shah’s open letter to 2020. Read here
Makarand Deshpande’s open letter to 2020. Read here
Piyush Mishra’s open letter to 2020. Read here
HT Brunch cover story: By the people, for the people, of the people… Four thespians write down their wishlist for 2020. Read the entire article here
Also read: Drama is dead, long live theatre
From HT Brunch, December 29, 2019
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